1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to carrying devices for cellular telephones, and more particularly to a resilient protective carrier for a cellular phone.
2. Prior Art
The past ten years have seen an exponential increase in the use of cellular phones. Their construction has evolved from brick-like assemblies to pocket sized electronic packages. These pocket sized electronic packages are in many instances expensive, and in all instances, fragile.
An early carrier or mount for such communication devices is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,344 to Yamashita et al. showing a rigid frame having side and back plates acting as a carrying mount arrangement. U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,142 to Nakazawa shows a portable telephone with a carrying holder which may receive the telephone in either of two facing directions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,292 to Fluder et al. shows a cellular telephone carrier assembly which pen-nits pivotable articulation of a cellular telephone within the carrier. U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,091 to Snell shows a grip and protective casing for a cellular telephone which covers the rear and a part of the side edges of that cellular telephone. U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,924 to King et al. shows a communication keypad with a protective cover of rigid material and a hinged front door over that keypad.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a protective assembly for a cellular telephone which is an improvement over the prior art arrangements.
It is a further object of the present invention, to provide a protective cover for a cellular telephone, which will safely protect all sides of that cellular device.
It is still yet a further object of the present invention, to provide a protective cover for a cellular telephone which is comfortable and easy to utilize.
It is still yet a further object of the present invention, to provide a protective enclosure for a cellular telephone which will accommodate a variety of cellular telephone sizes.
The present invention comprises a protective enclosure for cellular telephones. The typical cellular telephone is of rectilinear configuration sized to readily fit in a person""s hand or a pocket. The typical cellular telephone has an upper end with an antennae extending upwardly from an upper surface thereof on one side, a front facing panel having a speaker on an upper end thereof, a power button, a monitor panel and a pressable keypad for exposing alphanumeric keys, and a lower microphone adjacent its lowermost edge.
The protective enclosure in a preferred embodiment, comprises a web of elastomeric rubber, about xe2x85x9 of an inch thick, molded to fit about the peripheral contours of a typical rectilinearly-shaped cellular telephone. The elastomeric rubber will stretch so as to accommodate slight size range of most typical present day cellular telephones. The protective enclosure of the present invention comprises an elastomeric web of material covering all sides the cellular telephone, having an opening for a power button adjacent an uppermost edge of the cellular telephone, a generally oval shaped opening on the upper front panel, to accommodate a speaker on that cellular telephone, and an elongated rectangular opening to permit viewing of the monitor and access to the keypad of that cellular telephone. A lowermost opening for the microphone is disposed immediately adjacent and beneath the rectangular opening in the front panel of the protective enclosure. An elastomeric bridging strap is disposed between the opening for the speaker and the rectangular opening for the monitor and keypad, so as to provide strength and maintenance of the enclosure panel on the front side of the cellular telephone. A similar bridging strap comprises the lower portion of the front panel, between the microphone opening and the rectangular opening for the keypad.
The protective enclosure includes side panels to cover the sides of the cellular telephone. An elongated side opening extends from a lowermost portion to an uppermost portion of each side panel, approximately three fourths of the length of that side panel. The protective enclosure has an uppermost panel covering the entire uppermost surface of the cellular telephone, except for the opening permitting the antennae of that cellular telephone to extend therethrough.
The protective enclosure has a generally rectangular opening on its rear side, to accommodate any enlarged portion of the cellular telephone, for example a battery component thereon, or to permit access thereto.
The protective enclosure has four lowermost corners, which are provided with a bulbous corner pad protruding thereon. Each bulbous corner pad on the four lowermost corners of the protective enclosure comprise further safety arrangements for the cellular telephone enclosed within the protective enclosure.
The protective enclosure has a lowermost panel with an elongated opening thereacross extending between the bulbous corner numbers. The lowermost opening permits access to any power sockets which the typical cellular telephone may utilize.
The elastomeric material, which is critical to applicant""s invention, will typically yield to accommodate slight variations in cellular telephone dimensions. Silicone rubber to be used in this invention. The elastomeric rubber material also provides the surface texture and the structure necessary for ideal for securely holding such a cellular telephone. The elongated side openings and the elongated opening in the lowermost panel of the protective enclosure also permits improved holding power, and accommodation for the possible size variations between different cellular telephones.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, a support loop is secured to the uppermost corner of the protective enclosure on the side opposite the antennae opening, which loop permits a safety strap to be threaded therethrough for further securement or loss prevention of the cellular telephone therewithin.
The invention thus comprises a protective enclosure for a rectilinearly-shaped cellular telephone having an external antennae, to improve the securement of that cellular telephone by a user thereof, said protective enclosure comprising: an enclosure web portion covering the front, sides, top and bottom portions of the cellular telephone; an opening through at least one of the enclosure web portions to permit exposure of certain components of the cellular telephone; and bulbous corner pads which can be up to xc2xcxe2x80x3 thick on the lower portions of the cellular telephone. The protective enclosure portions are comprised of an elastomeric rubber least {fraction (1/16)}xe2x80x3 (min. wall) of an inch thick. The opening in the web portions of elastomeric rubber material is arranged through each of the panels thereof. An opening of the web of elastomeric material is arranged in the rearmost portion thereof. The enclosure may include a loop through the elastomeric material on an upper end of the enclosure, to permit a securement strap to be arranged thereto.
Thus what has been shown is a unique protective enclosure for a cellular telephone, which enclosure permits the safe and secure holding of a cellular telephone therewithin, while protecting the cellular telephone if it were to be accidentally dropped or mishandled. The bulbous corners and one-eighth inch thick elastomeric rubber protecting the corners and side elements of the cellular telephone, ensure such protection thereby.